College Football: Ranking the 50 Loudest Stadiums

When the 2011 college football season is underway, fans will pour into stadiums and get ready for the return of college football.

Throughout the nation, some teams enjoy the luxury of an intimidating crowd that makes life difficult on the opposing teams. Teams can often find themselves in a situation when communication becomes impossible; they can feel like the crowd is bearing down on them, and that will ultimately lead to mistakes.

No. 49: Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati

Outside of West Virginia, it is hard to find a place in the Big East that can get louder then Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati. Nippert Stadium can hold around 35,000 fans, which does make it the smallest in the Big East.

While the size of the stadium may be small, the fans feel like they are right on top of you and can make life hard on a visiting team.

No. 47: Sun Devil Stadium, Arizona State

Sun Devil Stadium is home to one of the loudest student sections in the nation. The stadium would be much higher up on the list if the support that the students show was matched by the rest of its 73,000 fans.

No. 45: Heinz Field, Pitt

Home to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Heinz Field is also used by the Pitt Panthers. While the support is outstanding in a football crazed city like Pittsburgh, the design of the stadium kills any momentum that the crowd is able to put together.

No. 43: Reser Stadium, Oregon State

Just a bit more then 45,000 people pack the stands of Reser Stadium, trying to cheer on the Oregon State Beavers to victory. The crowd can be loud, and with the expansions that have gone on, sound holds a lot better.

Reser is never louder then when the Oregon Ducks come to play the Civil War.

No. 41: Boone Pickens Stadium, Oklahoma State

Boone Pickens Stadium is one of the best stadiums that money can buy, and that is exactly what Boone Pickens wanted. The stadium allows 60,000 Oklahoma State fans to pack the stands and watch the high flying Cowboys offense.

No. 40: LaVell Edwards Stadium, BYU

LaVell Edwards Stadium is a gorgeous place to go and watch a football game, but if all you are going for is the sights, then the sounds will give you a huge surprise. Home to BYU, the fans have been watching good football for years and are not afraid to let all 63,000 of their voices be heard.

No. 39: Bulldog Stadium, Fresno State

Bulldog Stadium may be one of the more underrated stadiums on this list. Fresno State's program has taken on the persona of its head coach Pat Hill and is willing to play anyone, and at anytime. The fans have grown to love this mentality and take it to heart when packing into the stadium.

No. 38: Ross–Ade Stadium, Purdue

The Big 10 is not short on loud venues, and one of those includes the home to the Purdue Boilermakers, Ross-Ade Stadium. These fans come out and do a great job of supporting their team and make their presence known throughout the game.

No. 37: Bobby Dodd Stadium-Georgia Tech

The surroundings of Bobby Dodd Stadium lends itself to a loud and enthusiastic crowd. The stadium has a great view of Atlanta and has plenty of gathering spots for fans to meet at before and after games.

When these 55,000 fans get cranked up, Bobby Dodd becomes one of the loudest places around.

No. 36: California Memorial Stadium-Cal

California Memorial Stadium is not short on loud and enthusiastic fans, but has a design to it that does it no favors. Despite the best efforts of the crowd, sound escapes to easily and does not match the effort being put in by the fans.

No. 35: Vaught–Hemingway Stadium, Mississippi

As is the case with a lot of stadiums, Vaught–Hemingway Stadium main function was not to retain noise, but still, the Ole Miss faithful do a good job, especially when up against top SEC teams and Mississippi State.

No. 34: Alumni Stadium, Boston College

No. 33: Jones AT&T Stadium, Texas Tech

While it may not be the loudest stadium in the Big 12, Jones AT&T Stadium and the Texas Tech fans do a nice job. 66,000 fans can get into the stadium and can be a difference maker if the Red Raiders have a night game scheduled.

No. 32: Falcon Stadium, Air Force

While witnessing a game that puts two military academies up against each other is special, the fans at Falcon Stadium do a nice job all year round. The stadium can hold 52,000 people and is the loudest branch of the military.

No. 31: Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Arkansas

72,000 people are able to come and cheer on the Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. While the fans are passionate and get involved with every game, the noise and its effect on the game are reduced by the open end on the stadium.

No. 28: Arizona Stadium, Arizona

The fans at Arizona are great and are even more intimidating during a Thursday night game. Arizona Stadium holds around 55,000 fans who are all ready to charge the field, even if it may be a bit premature.

No. 25: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, USC

You would think that with the ability to put 90,000 Trojan fans into the Coliseum that you would find this one farther up the list, but despite the size, there are still many other stadiums around the nation that make it harder on an opponent than Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum does.

No. 22: Bryant–Denny Stadium, Alabama

Bryant–Denny Stadium is another stadium in the SEC that is no longer a fun place for opponents to travel too. With the recent success of the program and the direction that Nick Saban has them continuing in, Crimson Tide fans are louder then ever.

No. 20: Sanford Stadium, Georgia

Opponents who have road dates with Georgia know that when they are playing between the hedges, they are in for a battle. The SEC has a history of great atmospheres and loud crowds, and the people down in Georgia live up to that.

No. 19: Spartan Stadium, Michigan State

When playing at Spartan Stadium, you start to get the feeling that the 75,000 fans are all closing in on you. Spartan Stadium has a closed bowl design and two tiers to the sideline that helps trap in noise.

No. 15: Doak Campbell Stadium, Florida State

What do you get when you combine great tailgating, a good party town and one of the better programs in the ACC? You get 83,000 fans packing the stands of Doak Campbell Stadium to cheer on the Seminoles.

No. 14: Michigan Stadium, Michigan

Michigan is home to the largest stadium in the United States, but not home to the loudest crowd. While the Michigan faithful can get loud at times, the crowd is rather tame when compared to their Big 10 rival, Ohio State.

No. 13: Memorial Stadium, Nebraska

81,000 fans make up the sea of red that comes and cheers on Nebraska during the fall. With the Huskers now moving to the Big 10, Memorial Stadium is going to be a tough place for conference opponents to come play.

No. 12: Texas Memorial Stadium, Texas

Texas Memorial Stadium is a beautiful stadium that houses one of the most legendary programs in the nation. It holds over 100,000 fans who always make sure that that house is packed to capacity every Saturday.

While the second tier to the stadium does a nice job reflecting sound, the open end allows just enough to escape and keep them out of the top 10.

No. 11: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa

Many people out in Iowa live and die with the Hawkeyes, which makes it easy to pack the 70,000 seat stadium. Kinnick Stadium is one of the best venues in the Big 10, and the crowd noise can be relentless at times.

No. 10: Camp Randall Stadium, Wisconsin

The fans that help fill Camp Randall Stadium are often part of one of the most unique and memorable sights. All of the fans in the stadium join when they begin to play "Jump Around." When this begins, the entire stadium feels like it is shaking and takes things to a new level.

No. 9: Memorial Stadium, Clemson

While many recognize the home of LSU as Death Valley, Memorial Stadium has also been known as Death Valley. Memorial Stadium sits in a valley, and the surrounding crowd and noise level feels like it is right on top of you all game long.

From the time the players run down the hill and kick the game off, these fans are making their presence known.

No. 7: Lane Stadium, Virginia Tech

The title of loudest stadium in the ACC goes to Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium. Located in Blacksurg, Lane Stadium has a very quiet surrounding, but inside those doors, more then 66,000 Hokie fans are ready to send other teams running.

With a good design, noise is often trapped inside the stadium and makes audibles and communication almost impossible for the opposition.

No. 5: Ohio Stadium, Ohio State

In the city of Columbus, sports fans have one thing on their mind throughout the year, Ohio State football. When the calender brings the fall months, 102,000 fans come to the "Horseshoe" and create one of the loudest environments in the nation.

With the recent addition Ohio State made to the stadium, things have only continued to get louder and more difficult for opposing teams.

No. 4: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Florida

While some people may say that it feels like the fans are right on top of you, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, they practically are. Only feet from the sidelines, Gator fans have helped turn "The Swamp" into one of the most intimidating places to play.

Opposing teams know that when these 88,000 fans get worked up and start doing the gator chomp that they are in trouble.

No. 2: Autzen Stadium, Oregon

Autzen Stadium is a place where your eardrums go to die. With over 57,000 fans in the stadium, the Oregon crowd does a better job then most other schools do with twice the capacity.

Many coaches and players have gone to Autzen and commented on the crowd and noise level. After a loss in 2003, a visiting reporter for Michigan's student paper wrote, “Autzen’s 59,000 strong make the Big House collectively sound like a pathetic whimper. It’s louder than any place I’ve ever been... Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die.”

No. 1: Tiger Stadium, LSU

When your crowd registers on a seismograph, you come in at No. 1 on the list. LSU, the other Death Valley, is the most frightening place for a team to play, especially if your are unfortunate enough to be schedule for a night game.

The stadium holds over 92,000 screaming fans and is a guaranteed sellout no matter who LSU is playing that week.